Introduction
There are nine provisions included in the ANA code of ethics. The provisions can be broken into three categories. The first category is the nurse’s ethical responsibilities to her patient which is provisions one through three. Second is the nurse’s obligation to herself, provisions four through six. The third ethical requirement for nurses is related to their relationship to the nursing profession, community, nation, and world overall. This focus is summarized in provisions seven through nine [ (American Nurses Association, 2013) ].
Provisions 1-3
The first three provisions relate to the nurse’s responsibility to treat everyone with dignity and respect regardless of that individual’s background, ethnicity, or the
…show more content…
Provisions 4-6
The second category of provisions relates to the nurse’s responsibility to maintain their own proficiency and health environments, delegate appropriately, preserve integrity, and keep their practice and competence current. It is crucial that nurses are proficient and maintain competency in order to deliver high quality care to patients. "The virtue of professional competence calls for continual professional growth and a commitment to lifelong learning. You must practice nursing that’s evidence-based, be knowledgeable about the scope and standards of nursing practice, and have the necessary skills to perform nursing tasks effectively” [ (Lachman, 2008, p. 44) ].
Integrity is a vital quality as a nurse related to the fact that patients literally entrust their lives to their healthcare team. According to Proverbs 10:9 "whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out." God is pleased with a person of integrity. I Chronicles 29:17a states "I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity." Nurses have the ethical obligation to maintain competence and proficiency, and as Christians, they also are morally bound to develop the virtues of honesty and integrity.
Provisions 7-9
The third category highlights the nurse’s
Ethical practice is another component of the social contract of nursing which is a reflection of the values, beliefs and moral principles of the nursing profession. The American Nurses Association (ANA) has established the “Code of Ethics for Nurses” which serves as a “guideline” for the nursing profession in which clinical judgements and
As a Registered Nurse is a crucial component to ensure that there is effective communication between the nurse and patient. As well as being respectful to the person’s dignity, culture, values, beliefs and rights. This is because everyone is different, and due to this it is important that I am being cautious to each person’s individual needs.
A nurse owes a duty to her profession's own code of ethics. Patient autonomy, justice, and respect for patients' dignity are central to nursing practice. The Canadian Nurses' Association (CNA), through the publication of the codes of ethics for nurses, calls upon nurses to
I thought your discussion post this week was great. After looking at exercise 4-4 I completely agree with you that using PRN nurses and working with float nurses is such a smart idea. Decreasing discharge teaching time like the manager wants to do on the unit is unsafe and unethical to patients. The nurses on the unit are doing their part by providing excellent patient care, but reducing education can lead to dangerous outcomes for patients in the long run. Provision 3 of the ANA Code of Ethics (ANA, 2015) states that nurses should promote, advocate, and protect the rights, health, and safety of every patient. By implementing your proposed thoughts I really do believe wait times and patient satisfaction could certainly improve. There are always
According to American Nurses Association (ANA), (2010) “the nurse promotes, advocates for and strives to protect the heath, safety and right of the patient” (p. 6). Nursing responsibilities should be acted at the highest standard and must be based on legal and ethical obligations.
Fowler, M. D. (2010). Guide to the code of ethics for nurses: interpretation and application. Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association.
Integrity is being honest and exhibiting a professional code of ethics (Shaw &Degazon, 2008). Additionally, integrity is simply doing what is right. It is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principle (American Nurses Association, 2015). Florence Nightingale stated, “Be everyday more and more real, honest, and thorough in your nursing work” (Dossey, 56). Nightingale is a model of integrity in the nursing profession. She stood up and did what needed to be done for her patients, despite opposition from others (Dossey, 2005). Nurses have topped the Gallup’s annual polls on honesty and ethics for the past fifteen years (Norman, 2016). Trust is a key component of relationships and certainly involves honesty. This Gallup pole indicates the importance of the nursing profession to healthcare. Nurses are patient advocates and at the bedside on a consistent basis. Likewise, they are the ones caring for patients in their most vulnerable states. Therefore, nurses must display integrity at all times. In a profession that relies on honesty and trust, it is important for nurses to regularly evaluate their integrity and look for ways to improve it.
As a student nurse, I ascertain that the main principle in nursing is the care of my patients, to treat them as individuals and respect their dignity. I feel that it is fundamental to provide a high standard of practice and care at all times. To be open, honest and to work with integrity. The four main principles of the code that I will be working to are outlined by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (Guidance on professional conduct for students of Nursing and Midwifery, 2012).
The main points of provision five of the ANA code of ethics are as follows: section 5.1, which is moral self-respect, suggests that nurses must care for themselves as much as they care for their patients. Nurses must do their best to maintain professional respect to themselves in regards of their competence and moral character. Section 5.2, which is professional growth and maintenance of competence, suggests that nurses must continue to self and peer evaluate themselves throughout their careers. Nurses must continue to learn current, up to date nursing practices through self, peer, and higher education. Section 5.3, which is wholeness of character, suggests that nurses must develop and take into consideration their own
The ANA is a professional organization that represents all the nation’s registered nurses. It helps the advancement of the nursing profession by issuing high standards of practice, and promoting the rights of nurses in the profession. The Code of Ethics is developed as a guide for carrying out nursing responsibilities, along with an appropriate quality in caring with the ethical obligations of the profession. Ethic has always been an essential part of nursing as nursing has a history of concern for the sick, injured. The Code of Ethics for Nurses serves these purposes: it serves
After reading the ANA code of ethics there are various aspects that can relate back to nursing informatics. However, the main sections I would like to discuss would be; provisions two, three, seven, eight and nine.
Code of Ethics in nursing it is important to make sure the staff and patients are being respected and treated with dignity. The study of ethics has lead to basic concept such as justice and fidelity, autonomy, beneficence and nonmaleficence. It is very important to understand these concepts, because they assist the nurse with making decisions during difficult situations (ANA, 2001, p 6).
The Code of Ethics for Nurses was created to be a guide for nurses to perform their duties in a way that is abiding with the ethical responsibilities of the nursing profession and quality in nursing care. The Code of Ethics has excellent guidelines for how nurses should behave, however; these parameters are not specific. They do not identify what is right and wrong, leaving nurses having to ultimately make that decision. Ethics in nursing involves individual interpretation based on personal morals and values. Nursing professionals have the ethical accountability to be altruistic, meaning a nurse who cares for patients without self-interest. This results in a nurse functioning as a patient advocate, making decisions that are in the best
As is evident from the definition, ethics is largely subjective and will be influenced by a number of internal and external factors such as attitudes, beliefs, family upbringing, cultural and ethnic background and work environment to name but a few of the many (Freegard et al., 2013). It is important for a nurse to be aware of what ethical practice is and to be aware of the factors that can impact this in order to better understand their ethical point of view as well as the ethical point of view of others, to better practice in a manner that is ethical and right.
Codes of ethics contain a coherent set of normative principles underlying a nurse’s purpose and associated values (Vanlaere and Gastmans, 2007). Two perspectives of ethics are the ethics of justice and the ethics of care (Botes, 2000). The ethics of justice constitutes an ethical perspective in terms of which ethical decisions are made on the basis of universal principles and rules, and in an impartial and verifiable manner with a view to ensuring the fair and equitable treatment of all people (Botes, 2000). The ethics of care, on the other hand, constitutes an ethical approach in terms of which involvement, harmonious relations and the needs of others play an important part in ethical decision making in each ethical situation (Botes, 2000).